Ohio ranks 35th in residents' health

Thursday

Jan 17, 2013 at 12:01 AMJan 17, 2013 at 11:05 AM

A lack of access to medical and dental care ranks as Franklin County's top unmet health need, according to a first-of-its-kind report released yesterday by a group of central Ohio health stakeholders. The report also highlighted seven additional unmet health needs in broad terms, prioritizing them as follows: chronic disease; infectious disease; behavioral health; the high incidence of cancer; interpersonal violence; high-risk pregnancy; and unintentional injuries.

Ben Sutherly, The Columbus Dispatch

A lack of access to medical and dental care ranks as Franklin County's top unmet health need, according to a first-of-its-kind report released yesterday by a group of central Ohio health stakeholders. The report also highlighted seven additional unmet health needs in broad terms, prioritizing them as follows: chronic disease; infectious disease; behavioral health; the high incidence of cancer; interpersonal violence; high-risk pregnancy; and unintentional injuries.

Some of Franklin County's key health statistics are on par or even exceed the state average, but that isn't necessarily a cause for celebration, said Dr. Steven Gabbe, CEO of Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. He noted that the state ranks 35th in the nation in the health of its residents, according to United Health Foundation's America's Health Rankings.

"We have a long way to go to be a healthier county," Gabbe said yesterday during a Columbus Metropolitan Club luncheon. He was joined by the CEOs of the region's three other hospital systems: David Blom of OhioHealth, Dr. Steve Allen of Nationwide Children's Hospital and Claus von Zychlin of Mount Carmel Health System.

Hospital officials have said for years that expanding health insurance to people who don't have it doesn't guarantee that they will be able - or in some cases willing - to use it to access the care that best suits their needs.

One closely watched measure of access is the use of emergency departments. Franklin County has a slightly higher rate of such visits - 541.5 per 1,000 people - than the statewide rate of 533.2 visits per 1,000 people. About 90 percent of those visits were by patients classified as having the least severe complications. Of those patients, 18 percent are admitted.

The report also cites state Board of Nursing data that show there's one licensed nurse for every 89 Franklin County residents. That compares to one nurse for every 69 people statewide.

The county has a much higher concentration of doctors and dentists than the state as a whole. Despite that, the report noted Ohio Family Health Survey data from 2008 that found 15.9 percent of Franklin County adults could not secure needed dental care in the previous year, compared to 13.1 percent of adults statewide. The disparity in accessing needed dental care between the county and state was even greater for those older than 65.

Public health officials said the report, dubbed Franklin County HealthMap 2013, marks the first time such a broad swath of stakeholders came together to prioritize unmet needs that have the greatest impact on the health of county residents.

"This was unique in having everyone at the table," said Michelle Groux, a Columbus Public Health epidemiologist who was on the group's steering committee.

The report was spurred by the federal health-care overhaul's requirement that tax-exempt hospitals conduct community health-needs assessments and identify ways to act on those findings. Hospital systems decided to work together and with other community-health stakeholders to compile the report, which must be updated every three years.

Local hospitals plan to collaborate on a joint project that will strive to meet one of the prioritized health-care needs, said Jeffrey Klingler, president and CEO of the Central Ohio Hospital Council.

Similar collaborations in the past have focused on reducing preterm births, increasing hand-washing rates among hospital workers, and better using limited psychiatric beds.

The Community Health Coordination Project will discuss ways to improve the county's standing on various health measures from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Feb. 14 at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, 3960 Brookham Dr., in Grove City. RSVP by Feb. 12 to 614-525-3670.

Dispatch reporter Misti Crane contributed to this story.

bsutherly@dispatch.com

@BenSutherly

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